Ordinary Abundance, Clear Tech, and a Rebuild Begins

🚨 BREAKING(-ground) NEWS 🚨 We have finally started our rebuild in Altadena. It's been 20+ months since the fire, and I'm not going to sit here and complain about whatever cluster-f*ck we're dealing with on a daily basis, but let's just say it took us this long to get start because (a) we had to navigate a year-long gutting-and-renovation of our office building (and home to my agency) down the street (b) we dug really, really deep into just about every detail of the new build (because we're psychotic like that), and (c) we vigorously vetted contractors, acutely aware of the many pitfalls that can arise from construction. And while there's been a lot of belly-aching and righteous anger in our community about how things went down last year and ever since¹, I've tried to remain focused on these little glimmers of hope, and finding a sense of purpose in this whole ordeal. All I can say is: Here we go!

Without further ado, let's get to some things to watch, read, and play:

• "Jurassic Park computers in excruciating detail" is basically made for me. Bless you, Fabien Sanglard.
• I'm going to keep repeating to myself: I don't need the Teenage Engineering EP-2350. I don't need the Teenage Engineering EP-2350. I don't... aw, who am I kidding.
• "The hardest thing about being alive is that we exist as accidents of chance, and the universe does not hand us meaning. Nobody and nothing will give us meaning. We have to make it. And I think love is an instrument for how to do that.” One of the better choices I've made over the years is to follow Maria Popova. Her conversation with Debbie Millman is the salve for my soul that she always is (via swiss-miss, PS h/t to OG blogger Tina Roth Eisenberg for still going strong)
• I honestly can't tell you why I found myself browsing for the best highball glasses – the under-appreciated stalwart of any glassware or bar set – but I was. Most people go for a "double", those low, stout glasses associated with an Old Fashioned and just about every hair-on-your-chest cocktail. But the real workhorse is the highball, which is great for "long" drinks (i.e, drinks with a large proportion of mixers and flavored ingredients) and mixing directly in the glass, no shaker necessary.
• Ordinary Abundance is a delightful web-thing; a virtual apartment to explore and discover, and cultivate appreciation for the tiny miracles that punctuate our existence: "All the items in this room were once out of reach; some not yet invented, others too rare or costly for the vast majority of people. Today, most of us lucky enough to live with them walk past without a second thought." Credit to Jordan Dworkin.
• Because I will never not be on the open source train 🚂 No Sign-Ups is a collection of useful, open source tools, including Open Cut, an open source clone of Cap Cut (also see: Open Reel). I haven't thoroughly tested the video editing apps and they're not really for me as a professional, but they remind me of how everyone's an editor now, and AV editing (visual communication, storytelling, etc.) is one of the core mechanisms of our era of orality.
• "We're living through an explainer epidemic" Hot takes. Tiny mics. The rise of the "thinkfluencer", or knowledge-as-performance. “To be constantly churning out thoughtful commentary or analysis is an oxymoron because you can’t be thoughtful quickly. These short-form explainer videos are creating a facade of education, but the critique is that they’re only minutes long, so you can watch it and think, ‘OK, that was enriching; let’s move on to the next video’.”
• “Christopher Nolan isn’t replacing IP; he’s effectively become his own IP” The Ankler on directors whose names open movies. Uh, is this the cusp of a new auteur era? Or are we already in it? TDLR: while audiences mostly flocked to theaters for popular IP (think Marvel, Harry Potter, etc.) for the past decade plus, leading to what some have called the "death of the movie star", a bifurcation of the movie business, yadda yadda yadda and so on and so forth, movie-goers now seem to be more tuned-in than ever to who's behind the camera. This defies conventional knowledge in entertainment marketing, which assumes the vast majority of people have no idea (and don't really care) who directs a film, something that only matters to a dedicated set of die-hards. Interesting!
• A limited edition physical release of Spielberg's Hook is coming November 17th (!!!), along with a new hour-long behind-the-scenes doc. Critically-panned but also universally-loved by most every 90s kid, I cannot overstate the effect this film (and its moral center) had on impressionable young-me. In many ways, it demonstrates how no film can be judged from a truly objective standpoint (ya know, like all art?). As an adult, it's contributed to my realization that it's a little lazy and shallow to criticize a film (read: art) because "it's not for me" while wholly neglecting the value it may have to others. And yeah, movies are more than just movies and commodified products. They're vehicles for empathy and understanding, part of a multi-thousand-year tradition that defines our species. But also: bangarang!
• Callback: the Strategist did a roundup on how The Kids Yearn for Transparent Tech – featuring the Camp Snap camera I featured in July. The fine folks at The Verge also did their own roundup. It's probably time to admit that this design mode is when consumer tech peaked, hence the regression and total 180. I'm not quite sure a better aesthetic has surfaced since, seeing as how the Jony Ive-ian, iPhone-ification of everything was basically a stripping away of complexity, nuance, and personalization (no, being able to choose 1 of 4 colors for something is not personalization). Its resurgence is yet another counter-weight to the "blanding" era. And a small part of me thinks that is mode of design has more power than we think: a transparent enclosure allows one to see the complex inner workings of any device. Whether conscious or not, it seems likely that this helps people gain an appreciation for their tech, and what (literally) goes into it. The rise of DIY electronics and cyberdecks only supports this further.

Listen to this

Can't say I was familiar with This is Lorelei before stumbling upon this video, but this one has a delightful jaunt to it, made all the better by what appears to be filmed-on-DV verité of a world unfamiliar to us city folk. Also: dude's rocking a USCSS Nostromo hat. Respek.

Also this

If you're looking for some focus music, look no further than the latest release from woodwind extraordinaire Colin Stetson, who continues to put out music that's hypnotic, intoxicating, and damn-near mystical.

One more thing

The above photo of kids watching the Lion King in the ruins of Gaza has utterly wrecked me. Lion King was one of the first films I remember seeing in a theater when I was young, and yet another movie that helped shaped me as a human being. I cannot even begin to fathom what it must feel like for these children to have this respite and moment of calm; to be swept away by a narrative that gives them if only a faint grasp of understanding their world, and the forces that shape it. And yeah, it bears repeating: movies are more than just movies.

That's all for now ✌️ peace, love, and hugs to you all.

Thank you for reading anyway by Tim Strube, a creative director and agency founder curious about all things AV, media, and tech.

¹ hats off to those in our community fight the good fight. I may not always agree with their tactics, but it's hard not acknowledge the importance of people organizing and raising their voices in situations like these.